Cheggers Says Wii-lax – He'll Get Your Christmas Party Started

Legendary TV presenter stars in Oxygen Games' Cheggers Party Quiz, launches on Wii this Friday 7th December
Tuesday 4th December/... Make sure your Christmas party has plenty of “Wa-hey!” this year by kicking off the festive season with a copy of Cheggers Party Quiz on Wii: the ultimate entertainment quiz game, hosted by Keith ‘Cheggers’ Chegwin. Discover who is the most knowledgeable amongst your friends and family when it comes to the worlds of film, music and TV in a series of fast-paced, competitive rounds designed for all ages.

“A decent variation of rounds... things progress at a healthy pace, unlike with many quiz-based video games.” – Eurogamer

“An excellent way to keep the family arguments at bay this Christmas.” – TV Hits!

“Perfect for some post-pub scratching of the grey matter.” – Irish News

“A nice, neat quiz format... a definite must for a Christmas family party.” – 8.5/10, Soteriamag.co.uk

The game features eight exciting competition rounds (Opening Night, Big Break, Picture Show, Star Turn, Prime Time, Typecast, Channel Hopping and Final Cut) that can be played on your own or, even better, with up to four teams or individuals on Wii.

With the Nintendo Wii being at the top of every Christmas list this season, Cheggers Party Quiz is a fun-packed quiz for all the family that is the perfect stocking-filler for all Wii owners, which also includes console-exclusive features. Rather than just pressing a control pad button for your answer, Cheggers Party Quiz utilises Wii technology during its quick-fire rounds so that the first with their Wii Remote in the air with the correct answer bags the big points.

Keith Chegwin, podcaster and virtual star of Cheggers Party Quiz, says:
“I can’t tell you how excited I am about my first video game appearing on the Wii. Cheggers Party Quiz and Wii are the perfect fit and we have so much in common – we’re small but perfectly-formed and ideal fun for all the family this Christmas. Wa-hey!”

With a broadcast career that spans five decades, Keith Chegwin rose to prominence in the mid-1970s with presenting slots on Multi-Coloured Swap Shop and Saturday Superstore, as well as hosting classic TV game shows like Cheggers Plays Pop. More recently, Cheggers has appeared in Ricky Gervais’ critically-acclaimed Extras comedy show and has a regular outdoor segment on GMTV.

Cheggers Party Quiz arrives on Wii Friday 7th December, priced at £34.99 and is also currently available on PC and PlayStation2.

Blockdot Launches Game For Battlestar Galactica DVD

Dallas-based Blockdot has launched Raptor’s Revenge, an explosive new game promoting the December 4, 2007, release of the DVD, “Battlestar Galactica: Razor – Unrated Extended Edition.”

Raptor’s Revenge, which features exclusive movie clips from the DVD, lets game players take control of a Colonial Raptor stationed aboard “the beast.” The mission: use quick reflexes and sharp piloting skills to maneuver the fighter into striking distance of the incoming Cylon Raiders. But with the Raptor’s frakkin laser cannons empty, battle-hardened warriors have only one option: go nuclear!

“Battlestar Galactica: Razor – Unrated Extended Edition,” from Universal Studios Home Entertainment, is a two-hour event packed with all-new BSG characters, more action/visual effects than any BSG episode, and behind-the-scenes interviews with the series’ creators.

Battlestar Galactica fans can take control of Raptor’s Revenge immediately by visiting www.battlestargalacticadvd.com or www.kewlbox.com.

TransGaming and Cyan Worlds Work Together Again to Bring Cosmic Osmo's Hex Isle to Mac

TransGaming, a leading developer of software portability products for the electronic entertainment industry, announced today the release of Cosmic Osmo’s Hex Isle, a brilliantly addictive puzzle game that will be sure to delight gamers of all types.

Commissioned by Fanista.com, Cosmic Osmo’s Hex Isle is currently being readied for distribution through Fanista.com’s new web site, where fans can purchase products, invite others to participate, and get rewarded for the value they create. Fanista.com rewards the members of its community through its unique “Common Interest Commerce” (or “CIC”) rewards program. CIC breaks new ground through the innovative fusion of social networking and commerce by recognizing the intrinsic value of member participation and rewarding them financially for the value they create when their opinions generate sales.

Developed by Cyan Worlds, the creators of the legendary Myst Online: Uru Live, Cosmic Osmo’s Hex Isle marks the second collaboration between TransGaming and Cyan Worlds.

“When we first worked on Myst Online, I was amazed with the speed and professionalism of the TransGaming team. Online games evolve very quickly and have endless iterations. TransGaming's Cider technology allowed us to focus resources on one code base, knowing full well that Cider would seamlessly and faithfully preserve the experience on the Mac. This freedom to focus allowed us to make the best game we could and avoid the expenses and compromises that a separate code base would engender.” explained Tony Fryman, President of Cyan Worlds.

“The moment we decided that Cosmic Osmo’s Hex Isle was Mac bound, we knew that Cider was the solution. In fact, you might say that Cider was the catalyst for the Mac SKU. Our conviction in the TransGaming team and Cider was completely validated when we accepted delivery of a gold master a mere 2 weeks after production started”, continued a delighted Tony Fryman.

"The Cider edition of this game demonstrates how effectively publishers can extend their franchises to the explosive Intel Mac market. Cosmic Osmo's Hex Isle is an ideal fit for the Mac gaming market and we are thrilled to be fulfilling the appetite of avid Mac gamers and equally delighted to have been working with Cyan Worlds once again,” commented Vikas Gupta, President and CEO of TransGaming.

The acceptance of Cider as the ultimate cost effective Mac gaming technology and performance solution has now been cemented as multiple repeat customers continue to choose Cider for their Mac bound content.

Top Teams from Around the World Compete in the Championship Gaming Series World Final for the Coveted Dew Trophy and $1,000,000 Prize

The Most Important TV Event in the History of Video Games to Air Exclusively on DIRECTV's Channel 101

DIRECTV, the nation’s leading satellite television service provider, is making sports history once again with the exclusive live broadcast of the inaugural Championship Gaming Series (CGS) World Final. The competition will take place December 6-14 at the Sony Studios in Los Angeles where more than 100 of the world’s top professional gamers will compete for the league’s first-ever World Champion title and a share of the $1,000,000 prize purse. All the action will be captured live and in HD on DIRECTV’s original entertainment channel, The 101, starting December 6 at 10pm ET.

“This is the Super Bowl 1 of professional video gaming,” said Eric Shanks, executive vice president, DIRECTV Entertainment. “We couldn’t be more pleased with year one of the league and the excitement that it has created worldwide.”

The CGS World Final will be the first-ever international gaming event to present all the action live, as it happens, allowing fans at home to experience the match-ups like any other sport. The groundbreaking coverage will commence with the start of CGS World Final on December 6 and broadcast three hours of single elimination competitions each night leading up to the championship game on December 14.

The playoffs will feature the top CGS teams from around the world as they compete in PC and console based games. Valve’s Counter-Strike®: Source® and EA’s FIFA 2007 are the official PC games for CGS while Tecmo’s® Dead or Alive® 4 (DOA4) and Project Gotham Racing® 3 (PGR3) from Microsoft Game Studios will be played on Xbox 360. Each round of the World Final is single elimination and the last team standing will receive the coveted Dew Trophy as well as $500,000 in prize money.

In addition to the team playoffs, the World Final will also feature a special “battle of the sexes” DOA4 match-up where Vanessa Arteaga and Ryan “OffBeatNinja” Ward, the top female and male DOA players in the world, will battle it out for supremacy. The contest, dubbed the “Itagaki Challenge,” is the brainchild of DOA creator Tomonobu Itagaki, who will preside over the face-off and present the winner with the ultimate DOA prize package, including a ceremonial Japanese Katana sword and a trip to Tokyo. The individual competition will air live on The 101 December 13 at 11:30pm ET.

“We’re honored that DOA game creator and international superstar Tomonobu Itagaki recognizes the CGS as the world’s leading professional video gaming league in the world,” said Andy Reif, CGS commissioner and CEO. “We’ve set our stake in the ground and proved ourselves as a legitimate sport and look forward to growing the league and esports in the years to come.”

In what will become an annual platform for the world’s best gamers to compete professionally, the inaugural CGS World Final will be broadcast on television to more than 350 million viewers worldwide by DIRECTV’s The 101 in the U.S., BSkyB’s Sky One, Sky Two and Sky HD in the UK, ESPN STAR Sports in Asia, SKY in Mexico and Brazil, DIRECTV throughout the rest of Latin

America, and across mainland Europe via additional soon-to-be confirmed broadcast partners.

CGS World Final event schedule is as follows:

December 6: CGS World Final press conference
December 6: First round day 1
December 7: First round day 2
December 10: Quarterfinals day 1
December 11: Quarterfinals day 2
December 13: Semifinals & Itagaki Challenge
December 14: Final

The official CGS teams participating in the World Final are as follows:

Berlin Allianz
Birmingham Salvo
Carolina Core
Chicago Chimera
London Mint
Mexico City Furia
Rio Sinistro
Seoul Jinhwa
Singapore Sword
Stockholm Magnetik
Sydney Underground
Wuhan Dragon

For more information, please go to thecgs.com.

Global MMO Game Festival Finished its Grand Final Match in Korea

Game and Game World Championship 2007 was successfully finished its grand final in Seoul attracting more than 5,000 attendances.

Starting from European match in August, this global MMO game festival went on America, South East Asia, Korea, Japan regional match with six official games: Silkroad online (www.silkroadonline.net), Shot online (shotonline.gamescampus.com), Navy Field (www.navyfield.com), Record of Lunia War (global.lunia.com), and Bomb N Dash (www.bombndash.com).

More than 100 players from winners from Europe, America, Japan, Korea, and South East Asia showed excellent gaming skill to own throne of "the best gamer in the world". For Bomb N Dash, Volkan Kilic and Duy May, both from German, were placed 1st and 2nd winners. The final match, which was 5 out of 9, was on Duy first with outrunning Volkan with 3-to-4, but Volkan won last two games taking advantage of map geometry and won $5,000 for 1st place award.

German, America, and Korea players showed thrilling match on Record of Lunia War, and Jin Sun-Woo from Korea won 1st place. Larry from the US is the youngest final match player of GNGWC2007. This 14-years-old boy came Korea with his father, and did his best, but be in the award list. In War Rock match, the US team won the 1st place, and Poland team did 2nd . Philippine team showed impressive look, with same hood T-shirts with their national flag tagged on their arms like WCG national team, but they didn't beat the Poland team. Japan team went to the cybercafé the night before the grand final match, and practiced their strategy to win over the US team, and they did well, but not enough to win the US team.

15 players selected from regional final match competed for Shot Online final match, and Korean players won 1st to 3rd places. The final match of Silkroad online was held competing with players from three areas - Korea, Taiwan, and Japan. Lee Sang-Kook from Korea won over Taiwan and Japan players. "I took the aggressive position as I usually do", he said, "I did my best and I made myself believe that I would win", he added.

Clans from Korean, Japan, and the US joined the grand final, and the final match was between 'ND' clan from Korea and 'OS2' clan Japan, and both team won the 1st place because of technical problem that couldn't progress the final match.

This 2nd annual match of GNGWC was initiated to promote Korean online games to the global gamers, and developers who their games were selected as GNGWC official games are satisfied with its feedback from global MMO gamers. Choi Kyung-Yun, PR manager of allm, said "GNGWC did incredible role to promote global service of Record of Lunia War". She added "With high awareness of Lunia to the global gamers, we now prepare commercial service of our game".

Patch released for SunAge video game

Leading publisher Lighthouse Interactive and Austrian developer Vertex 4 today released a patch for their fresh sci-fi real-time strategy game for PC CD-ROM SunAge. The patch adds several new enhancements and bugfixes, upgrading the game to version 1.05 and is intended for the English and Italian boxed versions of the game. (Direct download versions were released as v.1.05.)

SunAge was released last week in several European countries including the UK, Italy, Scandinavia and online at various direct download websites. In North-America, Germany, France and Spain SunAge will be released by the end of January 2008.

SunAge is the modern day answer for RTS fans who want the best possible overview of their troops, while trying to outsmart opponents in frantic battles where strategy and tactics are more important than ever. If you have been into real-time strategy games for a while, this will bring back the good old days !

Key upgrades in this version 1.05 include:
• A fix for the ‘Load game bug’ where the in-game menu would disappear;
• Added connection-loss handling;
• Added auto refresh of save games-list;
• Multi player chat messages for defeat, victory etc.;
• CTRL+0-9 / 0-9 grouping glitch.

The complete list of new features included in the upgrade, is available at the Lighthouse forums as well as on www.sunage-the-game.com.

To download the patch v1.05 (file size: 3 MB) visit: www.lighthouse-interactive.com.

CHARTTRACK UK WEEKLY CHARTS

All formats
(Full price) Week ending 1 December 2007


1 NEED FOR SPEED: PROSTREET ELECTRONIC ARTS
2 THE SIMPSONS GAME ELECTRONIC ARTS
3 FIFA 08 ELECTRONIC ARTS
4 CALL OF DUTY 4: MODERN WARFARE ACTIVISION
5 ASSASSIN'S CREED UBISOFT
6 MARIO & SONIC AT THE OLYMPIC GAMES SEGA
7 WWE SMACKDOWN VS RAW 2008 THQ
8 PRO EVOLUTION SOCCER 2008 KONAMI
9 GUITAR HERO III: LEGENDS OF ROCK ACTIVISION
10 SUPER MARIO GALAXY NINTENDO
11 KANE & LYNCH: DEAD MEN EIDOS
12 RATATOUILLE THQ
13 LEGO STAR WARS: THE COMPLETE SAGA LUCASARTS
14 THE SIMS 2: CASTAWAY ELECTRONIC ARTS
15 HALO 3 MICROSOFT5
16 MASS EFFECT MICROSOFT
17 MYSIMS ELECTRONIC ARTS
18 NEW SUPER MARIO BROS. NINTENDO
19 TIGER WOODS PGA TOUR 08 ELECTRONIC ARTS
20 MARIO PARTY 8 NINTENDO

Top Films To Arrive In Xbox 360

Movies such as 300, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Good German and much more available to download

Following the huge success of Xbox LIVE Marketplace Video Store in the US, where it has changed the way Xbox 360 owners view and enjoy video, Microsoft today announced that Xbox LIVE Marketplace Video Store will open for business in the UK on 11th December.

Xbox 360 owners will be able to rent full-length films such as 300, The Good German, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles from as little as 250 Microsoft Points (*ERP £2) for Standard Definition movies and from 380 Microsoft Points (*ERP £3.20 [1]) for High Definition movies. This is in addition to over 100 music videos currently available to download from partners Ministry of Sound, Sony BMG, PIAS and Vid Zone.

With this launch, Xbox LIVE Marketplace becomes the first video on demand service to be available in six countries – US, Canada, UK, Ireland, France and Germany - and cements its place as the worldwide leader in online distribution of high-definition gaming and entertainment content.

Robin Truchy, Director of Xbox LIVE for Europe, Microsoft Entertainment and Devices Division, commented: “Xbox Live Marketplace Video Store in Europe is all about adding to the ever-expanding number of entertainment choices that our consumers have on their Xbox 360. We want to give them the entertainment they want, in the format they want, when they want it and at an affordable price. We were already offering HD games, HD music videos and the option to enjoy HD-DVD format films, now we are offering HD movies to download and rent as well. This is very exciting for us and the consumer.”

“Providing consumers with more choices and improving the movie experience at home is at the heart of Warner Bros. Digital Distribution’s strategy and we’re delighted to support Xbox Live for the European launch of their Video On Demand service” said Marc Gareton, Warner Bros. Digital Distribution Senior Vice President International.” Microsoft has built a very successful platform, in both Standard Definition and High Definition, and we are happy to make it a home for our movies.”

Arash Amel, Senior Analyst, Head of Broadband Media, Screen Digest, commented: “As Hollywood turns its attention towards selling digital copies of its blockbuster movies, the delivery of movie content over the open internet has become a key battleground for a broad range of service providers. Screen Digest predicts that the total European movie download market will be worth €350m by 2012, up from €17m in 2007[2]. The Xbox LIVE Marketplace Video Store, as the first multi-territory hardware-based online movie delivery service in Europe, is expected to be a European market leader for movie downloads. Consumers in both the US and Europe have already made it abundantly clear that they are reluctant to watch two-hour long films on their PC, instead preferring to view them on personal devices or most preferably devices that can provide a link to their large-screen living room TVs and home entertainment systems.”

Xbox 360 gamers in the launch countries can access Xbox Live Marketplace Video Store with either an Xbox Live Silver or Gold membership and a broadband connection. More information about the content available on Xbox LIVE Marketplace Video Store can be found at: www.xbox.com

Examples of Launch Titles on Xbox LIVE Marketplace Video Store:

UK/Ireland
300
HARRY POTTER AND THE PHILOSOPHER’S STONE
HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS
ZODIAC
MATRIX, THE
MATRIX REVOLUTIONS, THE
MATRIX RELOADED, THE
OCEAN'S ELEVEN
PERFECT STORM, THE
SWORDFISH
THREE KINGS
TRAINING DAY
FUGITIVE, THE
RISKY BUSINESS
SPACE COWBOYS
EYES WIDE SHUT
ANALYZE THIS
DEMOLITION MAN
ERASER
EXECUTIVE DECISION
LETHAL WEAPON 3
LETHAL WEAPON 4
LOONEY TUNES: BACK IN ACTION
MARS ATTACKS!
CLASH OF THE TITANS
SUPERMAN III
DEAD CALM

FIP Publishing licenses Speedball 2 – Tournament to additional territories

Speedball rolls around the world

FIP Publishing licenses Speedball 2 – Tournament to additional territories

After the UK, France, Spain and Benelux, FIP Publishing has now also licensed Speedball 2 - Tournament to Scandinavia, the CIS, South Africa, Australia, Poland, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi-Arabia and Qatar. All regional distributors will publish the retail version of the PC action-sports-game in the first quarter of 2008. Wendros AB brings Speedball 2 - Tournament to Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark. The Russian distributor Akella is releasing the box version in the CIS-States. QV Software has sealed the rights for Australia and Nicolas Games brings the futuristic mixture of American Football and Rugby to the Polish market. Pluto Gt publishes the game in the mentioned Arabian countries. A few weeks ago, Ascaron had already secured the license for the box release in the UK market. Nobilis Publishing will release Speedball 2 – Tournament in France, Spain and the Benelux. Further deals for the United States and Asia are in progress. “After the current publication in Germany we will send Speedball 2 – Tournament around the world with strong partners in early 2008”, International Sales Manager Julien Renzaho from FIP Publishing comments on the signed licensing agreements.

Speedball 2 – Tournament
In 2326, rival gangs form an ultra-violent action-sports league called Speedball to settle their deadly disputes. Two teams face each other in bloody battles for a steel ball. Nine on nine – in an all-out rush on the opponent’s goal; almost any malicious move is permitted. The highly anticipated sequel to the Amiga classic for the PC platform transforms the futuristic game setting with state-of-the-art technology into a high-speed online sports spectacle. Offering international leagues, a worldwide ranking system and a matchmaking function, Speedball 2 - Tournament pulls all registers of modern multiplayer gaming action. Fully customisable male, female and cyborg characters, dynamic sports battles, and a unique online community platform with online player and clan profiles will thrill sports simulation enthusiasts, action fans, and e-sports experts likewise.

For the production of Speedball 2 - Tournament, developer Kylotonn has assembled a fresh team of experienced game designers and programmers. With photo-realistic 3D models, breathtaking animations and futuristic arenas for Speedball 2 - Tournament, the French development team, already renowned for the “Bet on Soldier” trilogy, heads for a stunning comeback. As eminent advisor and co-producer, Mike Montgomery from the legendary Bitmap Brothers is supervising the overall development of Speedball 2 - Tournament. Since 1987, when he founded The Bitmap Brothers, Montgomery has been behind the legendary original Speedball, as well as classics like Xenon Megablast, The Chaos Engine, Gods, Cadaver, Magic Pockets and Z.

The The Bitmap Brothers logo is a registered trade mark of The Bitmap Brothers.
Speedball is a registered trade mark and copyright of The Bitmap Brothers.

Asda Story Returns for Open Beta

"Maximizing Skill Qualities, Open Beta Service Dec. 6th."

'Soulmates vs. Solos vs. Parties'

Seoul, Korea - December 4, 2007 - Soulmates are ready again to enhance Party system. Parties are ready to kill monsters. Solos are ready to be unique and lead Asda Story. No Twins in the game to get down with.

Huge difference from CBT was developed by MaxOn Soft Corp.
There are Specified Skills for all of the characters
Collecting Unique Optional Item Sets
New 5 Maps with New Goals
Enchanting all Armories and Sowels
Faster Transportation
Digging.

For Open Beta Service, we arranged data to specify one's characteristics among different jobs. There will be no changes in the base settings, but in long term, we adjusted to bring up characters' potential skills 100%. Items with options were added that users can find many different sets of unique items with purposes. For example, there will be healers costume set which will provide extra healing points to increase healing. Users can collect them and use them when needed. For more details and images, you can find out at our website http://asda.gamengame.com.

Among each job, Asda Story is created to play as a solo. We also tried to distinguish most from each jobs' characteristics. In addition to solo playing you can play the game as a party play, we wanted users to play as a party system with buffs, sharing, healing, and finishing blow to have extra effects than playing solo. For Open Beta Test, we are arranging data to specify one's characteristics among different jobs. There will be no changes in the base settings, but in long term, we would like to bring up characters' potential skills 100%. For example, one hand warriors will have some changing in their Skill trees. Now you can customize your own Characters

For more excitement at Open Beta Test, We are going to add extra 5 maps. Each map will have stronger boss monsters. For now, I would like to explain a few unique elite field maps. Elite field maps are like regular Alpen, Rain River, and Silaris, however users can feel the intensiveness of Instance Dungeons like Queen's Palace and Castle of Chess. The difference from regular field is that maps are not a wide open type. Like Instance Dungeon, roads are connected like a maze. Front view and back view are distinguished from each other to feel like actually moving forward. Monsters are strong that they are hard to be taken out by solo. There should be 3 or 4 players in a party to kill the monsters. (Also, there will be a map for solo playing called Sun Beach added to it like the map, Conquest.)

Sweet 3D MMORPG Asda Story will start its Open Beta on 6h of December, 2007. Based on a colorful, bright, and cheerful world, it is an easy game where monsters with powerful individualities. Lots of female users would be treated awesome and can have great tastes of this comfortable game easily.

Asda Story is very appealing to female users because of unique Soulmate System. We had lots of female users in CBT, and all of them are coming back to play OBT of Asda Story. Among Soulmates, healing, summoning, resurrecting, sharing attack or defense points were most popular. No girls were playing alone. This is very casual game to satisfy both sexes.

Casual users can be satisfied from constructing special and great skill trees or hard core users can be satisfied from expanding limitless item slots to create their own characters with various skills. Come and play Asda Story which can provide lots freedom in the game on 6th of December, 2007.